The end of consumerism?

Number 635 in the series that keeps on giving (is that on the Banned List?), Questions to Which the Answer is No, is asked by Leo Hickman, maintaining the Guardian-Compass franchise on wistful anti-capitalism.

Thanks to Dan O’Connor.

This would be a good moment to say again how much I enjoy self-checkouts.

Meanwhile, Ashley Wise asks:

Have any of John Rentoul’s Questions to Which the Answer is No actually turned out to be a Question to Which the Answer is Yes?

Which is, of course, number 636.

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• Whyshouldihavetoregister

  Hear, hear. The self-checkout is the greatest invention since the suitcase on wheels.

• Europeanonion

  We used to be waited on. There was once courtesy. Now it is just consumerism. Is it so demeaning to wait on people? If the art disappears we may as well just Internet shop and forget about towns and shops. Where did all the money go that they used to pay to people to attend on us? Why don’t they just leave the merchandise in the delivery boxes and have us scrap for the contents? The man delivers the white goods and you have to unpack them, connect them and get rid of the detritus and we poor dupes just accept it all (either that or pay a rediculous premium to have what was once part and parcel of the deal enacted).

• JohnJustice

  Thank you JR for drawing my attention to a really interesting article, which contrary to your headline is not about the end of consumerism per se but about the end of WASTEFUL consumerism. As such it is wistfully anti- capitalist only in the sense that capitalism thrives on waste. I’m sure all sensible people would agree that waste is a bad thing so this is a question to which the answer should be yes.